Your Smile
by RyuyaLana
Summary: After a traumatic experience, Marinette's smile fades into the darkness. In order to help her, Adrien visits her in the day and at night, he visits as Chat Noir. Can he bring her real smile back? or will she succumb to an akuma. (Rated M for implied Rape) MariChat and Adrinette
1. Chapter 1

**_So I have been addicted to this show for a month now and the other night, I had a dream which lead to this story being written, I hope you guys enjoy this! This is my first fanfic for the fandom._**

 ** _Summary: After a traumatic experience, Marinette's smile fades into the darkness. In order to help her, Adrien visits her in the day and at night, he visits as Chat Noir. Can he bring her smile back? or will she succumb to an akuma?_**

 ** _Rated M for implied Rape_**

* * *

"Lucky Charms!" Ladybug shouted as she tossed two of her Lucky Charm's into the air, restoring everything that once was before the attack. "Pound it!" the duo proudly announced, "Well my lady, it looks like I bid you goodnight" Chat bowed his head, Ladybug smiled "Goodnight Chat"

With a wink, he left before she could see him in his civilian form. Marinette decided to let Tikki rest, releasing her transformation. Marinette checked her watch, 9:45 pm, the streets were almost empty as she walked back home. She shivered, it was almost winter and she forgot to wear a coat before she transformed.

"I'm beat" she yawned, the red kwami's head popped out from her bag "Same here..." her eyes started drooping. Lights flickered around Paris as the Christmas season slowly came. Marinette still had classes, though only for two more weeks. "What should I give Adrien for Christmas?" she wondered aloud.

She could think of a few things, like a coat, or maybe a beanie? She could almost picture his reaction, his angelic smile as he bends down on one knee and pulls out his gift to propo- her train of thought was disturbed by the sound of a twig snapping. Marinette turned her head and saw no one behind her.

She suddenly felt vulnerable, "Tikki?" she whispered, "Can we transform?" the kwami shook her head. "I'm sorry Marinette, but that last akuma made us use two lucky cha-" she stopped abruptly when she peeked behind them, Marinette grew worried, "Tikki?" "Run."

Without another word, Marinette ran. She could hear the pursuer follower catching up to her, matching her pace. Marinette's heart pounded against her chest, her mind ran a million thoughts on how to lose the pursuer or maybe even knock him out.

Finally registering where she was, she could see the bakery sign. Marinette felt a hand cover her mouth before she could even scream.

* * *

Adrien watched as his kwami flew from one corner to the other corner of the room, practically ignoring the cheese platter on the table. Something was wrong, Adrien could tell, he could practically hear someone nagging at the back of his brain to go outside and patrol once more. "Plagg, could Hawkmoth create two Akuma's in one day?"

The black kwami hovered, "Yeah, Remember when Sabrina was turned? Then right after, Chloe had turned." Adrien bit his lip, "Can you feel it too?" he asked his kwami, Plagg nodded, "Cat senses man. They're never wrong." that was enough for Adrien, "Plagg! Claws out!" Plagg didn't even complain.

As Chat Noir, he patrolled Paris the second time tonight, it was 11 pm, most of the lights were turned off so he made use of his night vision. _"We haven't checked Ladybug's side"_ Plagg reminded him. "Shouldn't we call Ladybug and tell her something's wrong?" _"No. We're getting closer, I can feel it."_ Chat could see the bakery from where he stood from the rooftops.

A few blocks away in an alley, he could see an arm behind a dumpster. _"Looks like we're too late..."_ Plagg mumbled, but Chat ignored his companion. He couldn't stop himself from looking, as if something was pulling him closer. When Chat looked behind the dumpster, he felt his heart drop and his blood run cold.

On the ground was a battered, bruised and _violated_ Marinette. Her clothes were torn to pieces, her hair was a tangled mess, her body was covered in purple and swelling bruises, and she bled, a lot in a certain area. _"Adrien! Snap out of it! Get her out of here before she freezes to death!"_ Chat blinked, he bent down and saw that her chest was rising and falling, _She's breathing,_ he sighed in relief.

He took a look at her once more before carrying her in his arms, "Mari" his voice croaked before sprinting towards the bakery. Chat didn't have the heart to just drop her in her room, he had to tell her parents. After a few frantic rings on the doorbell, a small woman came to the door, followed by her husband.

Adrien remembered her as Marinette's mother, he had come to visit a couple of times since they had become friends. She and Tom treated him like family. It took him everything he could muster in order not to break down from the look on both of their faces as they took Marinette upstairs into her room.

Sabine turned around with a frown on her face, Chat finally spoke, "I-I'm sorry Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, if I only found her sooner she-" Sabine shook her head and gave him a hug "Thank you." He felt tears forming "But I didn't make it in time" she released him from the hug and smiled, "You brought her home. She could have died out there if you hadn't found her, so thank you."

Chat bit his lip, he thought of his Marinette, his sweet, bubbly, clumsy friend, his princess... being violated. He clenched his fist, "I swear, I'll find the bastard and make sure he'll pay for what he did to her"

Sabine nodded, tears in her eyes once more. "I don't know how to help her, but maybe you can" Chat's eyes widen, "Me?" Sabine smiled, "She talks about you sometimes and since you saved her, she'll want to talk to you" Chat stared past her, looking at the stairs leading to her room.

"I just want her to be safe" he must have said it a loud since Sabine took out her phone, "Here, give me you're number and I'll update you. You can text me when you're going to visit so that we wont barge in." Chat- no, Adrien stared at her, _This woman is a Saint!_ The two exchanged numbers before Tom came down from the hatch.

"I called a doctor, he'll be here in a few minutes." he turned to Chat and hugged him, "It's not your fault" had he known what was going through Chat's head? had he known that he had been blaming himself for not transforming sooner? for not calling Ladybug to help with the search? for not searching her side first? for not walking her home?

Tom frowned "You may be a hero, but you can't save everyone or anyone." Chat shook his head "Marinette isn't _just_ anyone." he blamed himself to the bottom of his heart. Tom hugged him once more, with last thank yous and farewells, Chat left the bakery.

He wasn't himself, Plagg noticed that much. It was going to happen sooner or later, one of his close friends were going to get hurt and he couldn't do anything to stop it. He entered the same alley and checked for clues, but his tunnel vision only let him see what he wanted to see. Footprints that didn't belong to his nor Marinette's, a dent on the dumpster, and blood on the pavement.

Chat wanted to scream but settled with punching the wall instead of waking Paris. _"You're hurting yourself"_ Plagg grew worried. Chat stared at his red and scratched hand "This is nothing compared to how Marinette feels" he mumbled before rushing to the police station to file in the crime then run straight home, but not without trying to contact Ladybug.

* * *

As soon as Adrien finally fell asleep, Plagg hovered over him. "I'll be back" he whispered before disappearing into the night. Unlike Chat's Cat senses, Plagg actually received a message from his beloved counter-part. He reached Marinette's balcony window and tapped on the glass.

A red kwami immediately appeared, he could tell that she was crying. "Plagg" her voice cracked, it broke him inside. "Let me in, Tikki" he pleaded. Tikki opened the small hatch that Marinette prepared for her a year ago, Plagg zoomed in and was greeted by a hug.

"Are you okay?" he knew that it was a stupid question, but he had to make sure. She nodded and flew over her companion, "I'm fine, but it's my fault Plagg" he looked at her and shook her head. "None of this is your fault", Tikki flew to her spot in the bed as Plagg followed her lead "Yes it is, she asked me if I could transform again and I said no!"

Plagg frowned, he really hated seeing her like this, blaming herself for what happened to her companions outside of the suit. "Tikki, look at me" when she finally did, he took a breath. She was just as beautiful as he first met her, "You were tired, she knew that. You know that your body can't stand more than 1 lucky charm and yet you used two back in our fight."

Plagg continued on as he held her in his arms, "Marinette wouldn't hate nor blame you, Tikki. She loves you, I love you. So please, can I have a smile?" Tikki blinked at him before finally smiling. "You're such a gentleman when needed." Plagg smirked, glad to have the love of his life back, "I'll take that as a complement."

Plagg looked back at Marinette, "So his Princess was actually also his Lady, huh." Tikki frowned "Don't tell Chat Noir. Marinette wants to tell him but in her own time" he nodded in agreement, Adrien was sure to be in a surprise. Plagg couldn't handle it anymore and hugged her, "I missed you so much"

Tikki smiled at him, its been years-decades even, since they last saw each other, "I missed you too, Plagg"

* * *

The next morning, Adrien already knew what to expect. He checked his phone and saw 15 missed calls from both Nino and Alya, plus messages. In the shower, Adrien's hand hurt, he remembered that he punched a wall last night. When Natalie asked about it, he explained that he accidentally fell and scraped his hand.

School wasn't the same without Marinette. Alya had been quiet for most of the day, her face buried in her phone. Adrien guessed that she was texting Sabine.

He received similar texts, _"The doctor came and will come back in a few hours for the results" "Do you want me to text it or say it later when you visit?"_ he almost smiled, she was already expecting him, he replied saying that he would like to hear it from her tonight.

The teachers didn't mind Alya, they knew that she was having a hard time being at school instead of being with her best friend. Almost the entire school knew about the incident, and everyone wanted to ask if she was okay. Well, almost everyone.

"Really, I mean, who cares about that idiot?" Adrien couldn't bring himself to look at his old friend, he couldn't hit her or punch her for her words. Instead, he tightened his hold on the strap of his bag as he listened to Chloe's rant "I mean, she probably let the guy rape her! What a slut!" Never mind.

"SHUT. UP. CHLOE!" Adrien shouted, almost knocking the table over as he stood up and slammed his fist on the table, luckily lunch break had just started and everyone was wondering if they should visit Marinette or not. Chloe gasped "Are you defending that slut, Adrikins?!"

He glared at her. How dare she?! HOW DARE SHE CALL HER THAT?! "DON'T call Marinette a SLUT, she is my friend and I will not tolerate you bullying her any longer!" he shouted before leaving the room. Alya and Nino followed him out. Nino slapped his back, "Dude! I didn't know you had it in you!" Alya smiled for the first time that day, "Thank you Adrien"

Alya's phone chimed, she read the text quickly before looking back at the boys, "Marinette's awake". Adrien felt his phone vibrate, he quickly checked and noticed that Sabine had also texted him, _'Mari is awake'_

* * *

Numb. That's what Marinette felt when she tried to open her eyes. _What happened?_ She suddenly remembered the cold air surrounding her, the pain of being thrown against a dumpster and the pavement, the pain when he groped her with his cold hands, the pain when he-

She gripped her sheets closer to her body, trying to shield herself from her memories. She felt a sudden pain on her left arm, but didn't pay much attention to it. The memories didn't go away. Marinette could feel her tears falling down her face, a small hand brushed them off, she looked up only to see an upset Kwami, who looked like she had been crying.

"Marinette, I'm sorry" she whimpered. Marinette took her in her hands and held her close, "It's okay Tikki, its not your fault" her kwami didn't argue anymore, Plagg had already told her how Marinette would react. "How do you feel?" Marinette sat up, well at least _tried_ to.

As soon as she moved her left arm, a jolt of pain shot through her, she gripped her arm and gasped. "It hurts!" she hissed. She pulled up her pajama sleeves and noticed that almost the entire arm was swollen, "A doctor came by earlier, he'll come back in an hour for your results"

She then heard a knock on the hatch, Tikki hid before Tom and Sabine's head popped into view. "Mama? Papa?" The two jumped and hugged her "Marinette!" but the two quickly released her when she flinched in pain. Mumbling their sorry's, the three stared at each other.

Marinette was the first one to break the tension, "I'm so sorry Mama, Papa" she started crying. Both of her parents frowned, they hated seeing her like this. Tom cupped her cheek, her tears didn't stop.

"My little girl, you shouldn't be sorry" Sabine nodded and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "We're just glad that you're safe" Marinette held back a sob, "H-how did you guys find me?"

Tom shook his head "It was Chat Noir, he came here and had you in his arms" Sabine remembered the look on Chat's face "If we weren't there, I'm pretty sure he would have started crying"

Chat had saved her last night, this brought ease to her frantic heart. But Marinette frowned at the thought of her partner in justice, crying. He had never cried during their patrols or their fights, she had seen him sad, but never to the point of tears.

Sabine took her daughter's hand and frowned, "A doctor came to examine you, he'll be back soon but you're going to have to do some more tests and probably get a cast for your arm"

Mari gazed downstairs her bruised arm, "It's broken, isn't it?" The two nodded, Tom spoke up "Chat apparently reported the incident to the police, and they want to ask...questions about what happened"

A shiver ran down her spine, images played in her head as she hook her head frantically, her body shaking in the process. Tom and Sabine panicked, the two tried to reassure her "You don't have to talk to them if you don't want to" "That's right, I'll even use brute force if I have to"

The thought of her dad throwing out the police was funny, but it didn't shake off the terrible feeling. "I-Can I think about it first?" The reply was almost instant "Of course dear"

the doorbell rang, "Must be the doctor, I'll be right back" Tom hurried down the hatch, leaving Sabine and Marinette to themselves. "Mom" her voice cracked, Sabine looked at her in concern "Yes, sweety?"

Marinette made a face of disgust "I feel dirty" Sabine smiled "A quick shower can fix th-" "No. I mean... I feel _dirty, used, violated!"_ She practically shrieked. "It's perfectly normal" the two turned their heads towards the male doctor.

He looked like he was in his early twenties, black hair and brown eyes, "Marinette, great to see that you're finally awake" Marinette stared at the man before it clicked, "Elijah?" the young doctor smiled "Hello to you too" if Marinette wasn't injured, she would have given him a hug.

"How are you? When did you return?" Sabine, Tom, and Elijah couldn't help but laugh. "Mari, let's discuss your health and your broken arm first, and then we can talk"

* * *

Alya, Adrien and Nino finally arrived to the bakery, the three entered the shop and noticed that Tom was behind the counter. "Hello, Alya, Nino, Adrien" he addressed the three as they greeted him.

Alya asked in a pleading tone "Can we see her?" Tom, of course knew that the three would be coming today, Sabine had told him to wait for them downstairs while she talked to the doctor.

"That depends on Mari... Let's head upstairs, a doctor is here to see her anyway" he said before flipping the store sign to _closed._

Adrien could hear the faint sound of people talking. He heard Sabine but he couldn't recognize the other voice, _must be the doctor._ He would have to come back later tonight to ask Sabine about the details.

"Make sure she keeps drinking her medicine and I'll see her tomorrow for the cast" he reminded one last time as Tom opened the door to the living room. "Leaving so soon?" Elijah frowned "Unfortunately, Marinette isn't my only patient. I have another appointment on the other side of France" he smiled at the end.

The doctor's eyes traveled from Tom's to the three, "Friends of Marinette, I presume? Oh! Nino, how are you?" Nino smiled and gave him a bro-fist "Eli, dude! Great to see you!" Elijah laughed and introduced himself to Alya and Adrien. "How do you know each other?"

Alya couldn't help but ask, "I used to go to the same school as Mari and Nino, and I would sometimes hangout with Nino's older brother" Nino smiled "I'll tell Milo that you're in town" the doctor beamed "Really? Thanks! I'd love to hangout with him sometime" Nino saluted "I'm on it"

"Well, she's going to need good friends like you three to keep her company, there will be times that she would want space and naturally, you should let her. But talking is the best form of therapy there is for this kind of... _Situation."_

Adrien winced at the word. The doctor named Elijah shook hands with Sabine and Tom once more before leaving. Sabine gently smiled at the three and gave them all hugs. "Thank you for coming, it would mean a lot to her."

Adrien could see Tom knock on the hatch door and peek his head through it.

* * *

As soon as the doctor took her arm measurements and gave her medicine, she felt terrible. How could she save Paris when she was going to be stuck wearing a cast? Luckily, it wasn't her good arm that got injured, that meant that she could still write and draw.

She knew that her mom and the doctor were talking downstairs, she didn't mind it. Marinette sighed as they finally left the room, she didn't know how long she could keep up her bubbly attitude or force another smile. With what happened, how could she possibly think of genuinely smiling?

"Feeling any better?" Tiki flew out of hiding and sat on her lap. "I feel a bit woozy, but it's a side effect of the medicine" her Kwami nodded, both felt terrible for what had happened, especially Tikki.

Marinette sank into her bed, slowly closing her eyes before she heard a knock on the hatch. She could see her dad's head pop out, "Honey, you have friends over. Do you want to see them?"

Mari lazily kept one eye open "Who?" Tom smiled "Alya, Nino, and Adrien" her heart jumped at the mention of Adrien's name. But she couldn't move her body, _he can't see me like this!_ She was still in her pajamas and she still had posters of Adrien up on her wall!

But it would be mean if she turned them away now... Sensing her distress, Tikki gave her a thumbs up. "Okay papa, let them in" as soon as Tom disappeared, Tikki flew across the room, ripping off every picture of Adrien there was.

Alya was the first person she saw. She noticed how her best friend's eyes were red, "Maariiii!" She started crying again as she ran up the small stairs towards the levitated bed. Marinette was able to sit up once more, but not without wincing in pain.

Adrien noticed this when he came through the hatch, the boy felt awful and responsible for what happened to her. "Hey guys, I'm sorry I made you worry" she spoke in such a meek voice that Adrien almost didn't hear her. "You don't have to be, Mari" he spoke a loud, causing Marinette to remember _who_ was in her room.

"That's right, don't worry, we'll get that guy for you!" Nino announced. Alya still had her arms wrapped around Marinette's waist, she shook and suddenly let out a sob. The two boys froze, not knowing what to do to help Alya stop crying. hey watched as Marinette gave Alya the sweetest smile that Adrien has ever seen.

"Alya, I love you. Don't be sad, please? I'm fine. See?" but as she moved to prove a point, Marinette accidentally hit her injured arm on one of her shelves beside her bed, causing her to wince. Alya had let go but glared at her "YOU ARE NOT FINE!" She whipped her head to look at the two.

"We're going here everyday until her arm is healed, okay?" Marinette was about to protest until the two shouted "YES MA'M!" It was a good opportunity for Adrien, now he didn't have to make excuses to Alya and Nino whenever he wanted to see Marinette in his civilian form.

Marinette's eyes started to tear up, "T-Thank you guys" they didn't return to their afternoon class, it was a good thing they had told Lila that they were going to visit Marinette. She and Alix had told the teacher where they were and decided to excuse them. Unfortunately, Lila was busy and couldn't visit Marinette, though she was very persistent in saying that she would cancel in order to see her injured friend.

After the trio left that night, Adrien immediately texted Sabine, _'I'll be visiting tonight, how is she?'_ he had to sound as if he wasn't there a few minutes ago. He received a reply soon after _'I've made you a nice batch of cookies. Mari smiled today, but I know her too well that she wasn't feeling well. See you soon'_

Sabine had told her daughter that they were having another visitor tonight, but Mari couldn't help but fall asleep due to being tired and due to the medicine.

Adrien frowned at the text, _was she faking her smile?_ "Adrien, you're going to visit that baker girl again right?" Plagg asked, the boy nodded "I have to, Claw's out!" as Chat Noir, he decided to contact Ladybug the second time since last night. "My Lady, please, I need you. You have to help me." He pleaded.

* * *

 ** _I hope you enjoyed this!_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you all so much for reading the first chapter and for following the story, here's the next one!**_

 ** _Summary: After a traumatic experience, Marinette's smile fades into the darkness. In order to help her, Adrien visits her in the day and at night, he visits as Chat Noir. Can he bring her smile back? or will she succumb to an akuma?_**

 ** _Rated M for implied Rape_**

* * *

After her friends left, Marinette sat by her desk and _tried_ drawing. The sling that Elijah had brought her was useful, it made her movements limited. It was handy, especially when she needed to put ice on the arm.

Drawing wasn't as difficult as she thought, seeing as she normally uses her right hand anyway. But _what_ she was drawing didn't occur to her until it was finished.

Unlike her previous sketches of clothes, faces, nature, and fun colors, this one was dark and full of shading. Marinette didn't even know what it was until she tilted her sketch pad to a portrait angle. She froze, wide eyed.

The drawing was on the streets of Paris, you could see the bakery sign on the corner of the sheet of paper. _This was the last thing I saw before.._. Marinette gripped her pencil to the point where it snapped, her knuckles turning white and her blood ran cold.

She knew that she wouldn't be able to distract herself anymore, now that her friends were gone, she couldn't help but remember. Tikki nudged her hand, "Mari, let's go downstairs. Maybe some food can help"

Marinette forced a smile, the same smile that she gave her parents, her doctor, and even her friends. "Sure Tikki"

During dinner, Sabine mentioned to Marinette that there would be a visitor coming today, but she was only half paying attention to the conversation and half trying to scoop her food on her spoon. Eventually, Marinette had to use chopsticks instead, which was way easier to use with only one hand.

She had to shake it off, she was with her family. "We're going to the hospital tomorrow after lunch" Tom nodded as they started cleaning up, "It's a good thing Elijah already took your measurements. That way, the cast would be ready on tomorrow as well"

"Mari, don't fall asleep okay?" Marinette slumped as she climbed up her hatch, "Yeah, yeah" she shouted back before collapsing on her chaise. "Marinette, your mom said not to sleep" Tikki reminded, but today was very eventful that made Marinette tire just by thinking of it.

 _Well, better that memory than..._ Her body shivered again, trying to block the images in her head, Marinette closed her eyes and laid down on the chaise, the side effect of her medicine taking effect. "Marine-..." Tikki stopped as she saw the bags underneath her companion's eyes, the cold sweat dripping from her forehead, and how she clutched the side of her head.

"Plagg, get here soon" Tikki mumbled before burying herself beside Marinette's sleeping figure.

* * *

 _It was dark, the scene played once more as Marinette and Tikki walked down the street in the winter air. Everything was the same, from the shivering air and the conversations with her kwami, except that Marinette transformed into Ladybug, but even as Ladybug, she couldn't do anything._

 _Her yo-yo had failed her, her jumps weren't as high and she couldn't fight back._

 _The shadow grabbed her hair, covered her mouth and dragged her to the alley, she couldn't move. Her body was frozen stiff as the shadow ripped up her clothes and molested her, she tried to scream, but the minute she opened her mouth, the shadow slammed her body against the dumpster, stunning her in the process._

 _She watched as the shadow repeated the same act as the night before. Marinette wanted to scream, but no sound came. She wanted to call someone to save her, to call her partner, the only one that could possibly save her. Chat Noir._

* * *

Chat Noir waited for his partner to respond, he waited an hour before he finally gave up. With a sigh, he jumped out the window and headed towards Marinette's house.

As he turned the corner, he saw a flower shop. "You're supposed to give flowers when visiting an injured person right?" _"Not really"_ Chat eyed the shop, "I'm going to buy her flowers" He could hear Plagg sigh in defeat at the back of his head.

After paying, even though the lady insisted that he didn't have to but he still did, he clutched the bouquet as he approached the bakery. He couldn't help but stop at the alley, the dark area was now taped "Closed off area" by the police in order to check out the crime scene.

Even though Chat wanted to help with the search, the chief of police stopped him, saying "It's the least we can do since you and Ladybug save Paris all the time, you deserve a rest" with that, Chat left the station.

Upon nearing the bakery, he saw that the closed sign was turned but the lights were on, _they're probably waiting for me,_ he rang the doorbell. Tom opened the door and hugged him again, "Chat Noir! Thank you again for everything." "Hello Tom, may I go see Marinette?"

The large man nodded, "Of course, are those for her?" he pointed to the bouquet "Yes, sir- I mean Tom"

The two were greeted by Sabine, "Oh Chat. I'm really glad you came over, Mari should be upstairs." Chat gave her a small smile "Thank you" Chat ascended the small staircase and knocked on the hatch, no answer.

When he looked back at Tom and Sabine, the two gestured him to go in. "Alright" he muttered before opening the hatch, he spotted her on the chaise. "Mari- oh..." he quietly closed the hatch and sat by her side. "Chat... Chat"

He almost jumped when she called his name, but his heart broke when he saw her, tears streaming down her face, her body covered in sweat, she clutched the pillow by her side as she cried out. "Help me... please... Cha-Chat!"

Chat Noir cradled her head on his lap, wiping the tears on her face as he tried to console her "Princess, shhh... it's okay. I'm right here." Mari struggled in his arms, her working hand accidentally punched him on the nose, causing him to yelp out in pain.

His yelp was loud enough to wake her, but as soon as she realized that it was Chat Noir, she quickly got off him. "WHA-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" She shouted.

Meanwhile, Chat was trying to stop his nose from bleeding. "Meoouch Princess, is that a way to greet your knight in skin tight leather?" he tilted his head forward, blocking the flow of blood from coming out.

"Are you bleeding?" she pulled his chin to face her, "No?" she glared at his response. Marinette quickly jumped off her chaise and grabbed a tissue box, "How did you even get up here!?" she handed him the box, Chat quickly started wiping his nose.

"You're parents let me in through the front door and to answer your first question," Marinette sat beside him as he continued, "I came to check up on you"

When it stopped bleeding, the two were presented with an uncomfortable silence. _"Hey, we're not getting any younger here"_ Plagg nagged but she beat him to it. "Thank you Chat, for bringing me home last night"

Chat then noticed how her tired she looked, if he wasn't there, he was sure that she would fall back to sleep to escape from reality. But her dreams weren't a safe haven either.

"Are you okay?" he asked for the second time that day, but not that she knew anyway. Marinette hesitated, she knew that she could trust Chat with anything, but she didn't want to burden him. "I'm fine, just a broken arm"

Chat's mouth formed into a frown, "Princess, you're anything but fine" she bit her lip "I am fine, Chat". He shook his head, "No, you're not."

She sighed in defeat. Marinette knew that her partner cared, "I... I don't want to burden you with these things" Chat faced her and took her hand in his, "I'll listen to you, you wont burden me." He chuckled, "And besides, what am i going to do with these?"

He pulled out the bouquet from behind him and gave them to her, Marinette's eyes widened and she finally made a small smile. Not the forced one that she had all day, nope, a real smile. "Wow"

Chat Noir smiled, he was happy that she finally smiled, no matter how small it was. "What are these?" he simply stated as she held the bouquet closer to her face "Alstroemeria and Hyacinth flowers"

Chat was lucky that Marinette didn't know much about the meanings behind flowers, if she did, then she would have known that these White Alstroemeria meant on how much he wanted to express his concern for her, while the Purple Hyacinth meant that he was asking her forgiveness.

No matter what Tom, Sabine, or Plagg said, he can't forgive himself. He couldn't forgive himself for what was happening to her. Knowing Marinette, she would immediately tell him that it wasn't his fault. She was too caring, too kind, she would never blame him.

"They're beautiful, thank you!" before she could stand and put it in a vase, Chat's hand stopped her. Marinette looked at him, "I want you to know that I'm here if you need anything or if you want someone to talk to" she was surprised to say the least.

Chat wasn't usually this caring in front of Ladybug. Marinette gave him a nod, placing the bouquet beside them on the chaise, and frowned, "It's just-I could..." She struggled, Chat knew that it wasn't an easy subject to talk about, but she shouldn't bottle it up forever. "Don't hold anything back"

He gave her a reassuring smile before she carried on, giving a not-so detailed explanation about her dreams that feel real to the touch, and about her memories that she can't shake off. Chat listened as she poured her heart out, her eyes filled with tears as she recalled those memories.

"At first, I thought that it was normal for a person to walk around in the street... but when I ran, he followed" Chat resisted the urge to question her while she was talking, "He grabbed and dragged me into the alley, it was dark so I couldn't see him"

Her voice croaked, Chat could imagine the look of fear in her eyes, "Then he-he..." Marinette's body shook once more, but this time, Chat was there to offer her comfort. He gently took both of her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"He ripped my clothes, when I tried to scream, he pushed me into the dumpster." She didn't realize that Chat had been staring at her broken arm, a grim expression on his face. "He started touching me and forced me." Marinette also didn't realize that she started crying.

By the time she noticed, Chat had already wiped them for her. She exhaled, she had never told anyone the full story yet. Not to her parents or her friends, but Chat made her feel safe. He helped her let everything out. Using her good arm, she reached and gave Chat a hug.

"Feel better?" she nodded against his chest, "Much better. Thank you." Chat wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, her body still shook and her tears fell. "Have you told anyone about this?"

Marinette shook her head, "No. Alya is already worried enough as it is; Nino and Adrien, I don't want to burden them", "Your Parents?" "I can't... I wont be able to, but maybe some day" Chat nodded in understanding.

He could feel her slowly dozing off, "Princess?" "Hm?" she lifted her face, not noticing the distance between the two. Chat's eyes widened, he cleared his throat and smiled, "Let's get you to bed, you must be tired"

By the time she knew what was happening, Chat had her in his arms, bridal style. "Woah! Chat, you don't have to carry me to bed" he smiled as he watched her squirm, "No, It's okay." Marinette panicked, "Chat! Put me down!"

Chat couldn't help but think how cute she was, "Nope, You're injured" She smacked his chest and glared at him, "The only thing injured is my arm, not my legs" he finally let out a laugh, "Too late".

Mari semi-crossed her arms and raised a brow at him as he carried her up the small stairs to her bed. Chat sat across her, a smirk on his face. "You are _not_ charming" he fake gasped, "Princess! I'm A-paw-led!" Marinette groaned, "Noooooo" and to think, she thought that maybe, _just_ maybe, Chat wouldn't say another pun today.

She caught herself yawning, the medicine kicking in again, "Looks like you need to sleep" the thought of sleeping frightened her, she grabbed Chat's hand. Chat frowned at the coldness of her hand, "I don't want to sleep. I'll dream about it again" "Princess. Don't be afraid, I'll be here when you sleep"

He watched as she eased down into her pillow, making sure that her injured arm was on a smaller pillow, but her good hand refused to let go of his. "Y-you promise?" Chat smiled, _She's just like a kid,_ "Yeah, I'll be right here" he gently removed the strands of hair off her face and watched as she slowly gave in to sleep.

"Chat" she whispered, "Yes Mari?" her lips formed a small smile "Thank you"

Chat Noir waited until she was asleep before he started moving again. He waited a few more minutes to make sure that she didn't have another nightmare, before he descended down the stairs, he kissed her hand "Goodnight Princess. I'm so sorry."

He noticed her drawing on the desk, he knew that spot all too well. Chat looked back at her with a frown on his face, "I swear to you Mari, I'll find him". He grabbed the bouquet and headed down the hatch to the living room.

Honestly, he was surprised to see Tom and Sabine still up. The two smiled at him, "How did it go? We heard her shouting" Chat sat on a chair, "She had a nightmare _then_ she shouted at me" they frowned at him mentioning the nightmare, Sabine held her tea close to her "Did she talk to you?"

He nodded, "I'm sorry but she should be the one to tell you, not me" they understood that. "What did the doctor say?" Tom pulled out a file, "Elijah said that she has a closed fracture at the humerus area (Upper arm), he can't tell how bad the condition is but we scheduled an appointment to have an x-ray and casting done tomorrow."

"Elijah didn't want to tell Mari this but he needs her to tell him what happened in order to get into a conclusion to what caused it" Chat shook his head, he knew that Marinette wouldn't say it to others as easily as she did to him, "I could do it, but I need to ask Marinette first"

The couple contemplated together before agreeing, "Alright. Will you be free tomorrow after lunch?".

No, he wasn't. Both Alya and Nino would be expecting him to go with them tomorrow, "How about tomorrow morning? Is he passing by here?" Sabine nodded, "Yes. He'll be checking up on her before her school starts" Chat gave a small smile, "That's good. Where could we put this?"

Sabine took the bouquet from him and shuffled around for a vase.

"Oh, here are your snacks. I added some cheese bread in there." She handed him a container of cookies and cheese bread, Chat sat speechless, "Are you sure?" Tom smiled "It's the least we could do for everything that you've done"

Chat felt his heart ache, they didn't blame him for anything. _No. It's my fault._

Sabine watched as the boy frowned, she gave Tom a worried look. She knew what he was thinking, he was beating himself up. "Would you like to stay over?" Both Chat and Tom looked at her in shock, but Tom smiled "You could sleep on the couch or Mari's chaise"

Chat stared at the two, "I-I... I don't know what to say" Tom stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder "If you need anything, just tell us." Sabine gave Chat a hug "You're welcome to stay over anytime"

"I could but I should ask Mari, I don't want to give her a headache." the couple laughed, small laughs on their faces as Chat headed back up Mari's room with the vase of flowers in his hands.

Chat turned off the lights, using his night vision, he could still move around in the room. He climbed up the small stairs, a sad smile on his lips as placed the vase on the shelf that Marinette had beside her bed.

He leaned against the wall and took her good hand in his, his eyes slowly drooping, _So much for asking her permission_. "Plagg, claws in" he released his transformation, Plagg eyed him carefully, "Are you sure?" Adrien nodded his head "She can't see me"

Plagg looked up to the balcony window, the skies were cloudy, so no light came in through the window above the bed. "You can eat the cheese bread" Adrien shuffled until his head hit a pillow, "Plagg, wake me up before 4" his kwami nodded "Sure, you go rest"

When Plagg was sure that Adrien was asleep, the little kwami whispered "Tikki?" even with his night vision, he didn't expect to be tackled once more. "Thank you again for coming"

Tikki knew that even if Chat didn't come, he would have come anyway. One thing that he didn't count however, was Tikki being able to see who Chat was. Her eyes widened as she realized who it was, "He doesn't know" Plagg reassured her, "I wont tell Mari either"

The two kwami's smiled at their two idiots, they've been chasing after each other for 4 years. Now that it was their senior year, they were still blind to each other's alternate egos. Although Marinette could talk to Adrien more frequently and Chat Noir was slowly getting closer, they made no progress.

"They remind me of _them"_ Plagg nodded, "Heart breakingly alike"

The two were in their own little world when Marinette woke up, she noticed that she didn't have another nightmare, she also noticed that a hand held hers. She heard someone breathing, _Is Chat still here?_ She removed her hand and used it to find him.

When she felt the fabric of his clothes, she realized that Chat had released his transformation. She pulled back, the commotion caused Adrien to open his eyes. He blinked a couple of times and realized that he didn't have her hand.

"Princess?" he slowly sat up, "Chat?" Marinette quietly called out. The two kwami's quickly shut their mouth when they heard the two. "What's wrong? Did you have another nightmare?" she heard his worried tone. She was happy that he was worried about her.

"No, no. I'm fine Chat" he sighed in relief, "So what is it?" "You're still here" Adrien smiled, "I didn't want you to wake up all alone, just in case you had a nightmare" Marinette didn't know what to say, it was a different side of Chat that she had never seen as Ladybug.

"Why did you release your transformation?" Adrien froze, "How do you know that Princess?" "I felt your clothes" Adrien smirked, "You _felt_ my clothes? Oh dear, was my Princess going to touch my abs whilst I was in my skin tight suit?" he teased.

Marinette was glad that the lights were off and that he didn't have his night vision because she blushed, "Chat! Seriously?!" Adrien let out a laugh before laying back down beside her, "Don't worry Princess, I'll be gone before the sun rises... We need to rest for now, you have a long day tomorrow"

His hand found hers once more, the two could feel their eyes drop.

"That was a close one" Tikki whacked the kwami, "Shush! You'll wake them up!"

* * *

 ** _I hope you enjoyed this!_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Thank you all so much for reading the first chapter and for following the story, here's the next one!**_

 ** _Summary: After a traumatic experience, Marinette's smile fades into the darkness. In order to help her, Adrien visits her in the day and at night, he visits as Chat Noir. Can he bring her smile back? or will she succumb to an akuma?_**

 ** _Rated M for implied Rape_**

* * *

"How does that feel?" Marinette experimentally moved her newly casted arm, "Well... now I wont accidentally bump it into things" Elijah nodded, taking down notes as Sabine and Tom asked him questions. "When can Mari go back to school? She only has less than 2 weeks left."

Elijah eyed the x-ray of Marinette's arm. "Mari has a closed Spiral fracture in the Humerus area (Upper arm). A spiral fracture is caused by the twisting of the bone, which when Chat Noir told me this morning, Marinette must have twisted her arm when she hit the dumpster, causing the impact to crack her bone in a spiral pattern."

He pointed the x-ray to the three, "An example of a spiral fracture is when you break a stick in half, but instead of the usual way, you twist it, making the broken ends of the stick uneven and angled in a weird position."

"Unfortunately, the cast alone is not enough for the fractures to heal by itself. I would have to perform surgery and insert pins or small rods to stabilize the bones during the healing process. But luckily, the fracture did not go all the way. In simple terms, the central area of your Humerus is still intact, meaning that you will only require two to three rods at most."

Marinette's eyes shifted to her parents; Sabine chewed on her lips while Tom held her hands. "Two days after your surgery, you can head back to school. But it's necessary that you should see a therapist." Marinette's eyes widened, she didn't need a therapist. Before she could contradict, Elijah continued.

"I know that you don't want to but its a part of the healing process. You can take anyone with you as long as you go to the sessions, okay?" He looked at her with earnest eyes, even her parents were hoping that she would accept it. "Fine".

"When do you want to schedule the surgery?" Elijah picked up his calendar, "The earlier the better" Tom answered almost instantly. Marinette didn't know what she wanted, a part of her wanted to go and transform and look for the man who did this to her, to have him beg for her mercy. Another part wanted this to be all over, to continue living her miraculous life. But one thing was for certain, she didn't want to talk to someone about what happened, especially not someone she didn't know.

Besides Chat Noir, no one knew the full story. Chat had only told Elijah the dumpster part of the story, leaving out all the other gruesome details of that night.

"I'll check with the OR (Operation Room) schedule" Elijah quickly stood up and left the room. Sabine and Tom whispered to themselves, agreeing that they should grab the earliest opportunity they could. They didn't want their daughter to be stuck in a cast all winter or to miss the last few days of school before winter break.

When Elijah entered the room, he sat beside Marinette on the patient's table. "The earliest that I can give you is later tonight at 8pm. But are you sure about this? Don't you need time to sink everything in?" His questions pointed to Marinette, knowing that her parents would do anything for her.

Honestly, Marinette knew that she couldn't catch the man without this surgery. "Its alright, the sooner we do this the quicker my arm gets better." Elijah nodded, he playfully ruffled her hair before leaving the room again to reserve the room.

* * *

If Alya paid attention to her class or to any of her classmates, she would have noticed Adrien's reaction when she had told him about the surgery. His face had gone pale and his brain ran a thousand thoughts at once. He quickly texted Sabine, "How did the trip to the hospital go?" trying not to sound too frantic.

After Sabine had told him most of the details, he relaxed. It wasn't as bad as Alya made it sound. Unfortunately, Alya and Nino had prior arrangements and wouldn't be able to go to the hospital, plus Adrien had to be home by dinner. But that didn't mean that Chat Noir wasn't allowed to visit after her surgery.

"Hey, do you guys want to give her a get well party?" Adrien suggested a bit too loudly to the point where Alix practically shouted "YES!" from across the room, some others heard as well and agreed, they called the rest of the class (Except for Chloe and Sabrina) to prepare their surprise.

Alya and Nino took charge of everyone in less than 5 minutes, Adrien watched with a smile as everyone became enthusiastic about the surprise. Lila had even volunteered for all the decorating supplies and suggested to buy everything that they needed for the party. Sabine had told him that Marinette would be able to return to school on Thursday, which was two days from now. Their teacher even agreed to canceling her lesson for that day to support Marinette.

When word got out in the school of the secret get-well party for Marinette, it wasn't a surprise to see younger kids from their school participate. He even overheard a group of kids saying that they should get her a big card and sign it. Marinette was a sweetheart to both her batch and even younger students in their school.

Throughout the day, Adrien's mind led him to remember the night before. The way Marinette could break at any moment, she was so fragile that Adrien even had trouble leaving her in the morning. "Monsieur Agreste," his fencing instructor, Armand D'Argencourt, lifted his fencing helmet, "Something on your mind?" Adrien couldn't help but blink, "AH! I- uh... I'm sorry Monsieur." The instructor sighed, "Let's call it a day, shall we?"

Adrien nodded, taking off his helmet and gloves. "I heard about what happened to Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng." Armand placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "I'm sure she's fine. You're a good friend, though I do hope that next time, you wont be as distracted as you are today." he lightly scolded, Adrien gave him a smile before retreating to the showers.

In the showers, Adrien unintentionally stared at his hand, the same hand that held Marinette's all night long. "She's fine" he whispered to himself. He turned to his other hand, the one that had scratches due to him punching the brick wall of the alley. It was slowly healing, no one at school really noticed except for Nino. He tried not to think about that night, but flashes of Marinette from that night kept appearing at the back of his head.

He made it through class by distracting himself with Nino, Alya and class, but he couldn't help it. He clenched his fist and punched the wall of the shower room. His breath was uneven and all he saw was her blood on his hands. Adrien bit his lip to help him control of himself. "She's fine..." He whispered one more time before turning off the water.

"Plagg shouldn't see me like this" he muttered as he stared at himself in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot and red, he didn't even realize that he had been crying in the shower. His complexion was paler than usual. Plagg would notice if he went out like this. After pulling himself together and dressing up, he opened his locker.

"I'm pretty sure she'll have the biggest party the school's ever seen" Plagg commented as he exited the boy's locker. "You think she'll like it?" Adrien asked as he packed up his things in his bag. "Like it? She'll love it" Adrien was surprised by Plagg's supportive comments, but he wasn't complaining. "Are you sure it was a good idea to tell that doctor about what happened?"

Adrien sighed, "He needed to know how she got hurt and besides, I didn't tell him everything." Zipping his bag, Adrien headed for the limo. Gorilla was in front of the entrance, silently waiting for the young master. Natalie was inside the limo waiting for him, as soon as he entered, she bombarded him with events, shoots, and even a dinner party in honor of his father's new release of Winter clothing.

Adrien has made it known to Natalie that he doesn't want to attend, but as the model for the new line and the son of the director, his attendance was a must. _Don't worry Mari. I'll visit you soon._ He took out his phone and texted Sabine _"How is she?"_ He never heard back from her after she texted him that they were off to see the doctor.

His phone chimed, it was 7pm when she replied _"Mari is about to head into surgery. I'm worried. She hasn't spoken to us in a while."_ Adrien frowned, he was currently at the dinner party. _"Can I talk to her?"_ surely no one was going to notice his absence. He quickly stood up, when he was caught by Natalie, he excused himself to the restroom.

The phone rang, "Hello?". _"Chat?"_ Adrien smiled at the sound of her voice, "Hey princess. How are you?"  
He could hear her sigh, _"Why do you have my mom's number?"._ "Why not?" He could imagine her rolling her eyes at him. _"I'm fine Kitty. About to go into surgery."  
_ "Are you scared?" he whispered. She didn't answer as energetic as usual, _"A little bit."_ Adrien smiled at that. She was always so honest with him. "Don't worry princess. I have something to do, but I'll be there by the time you get out, okay? So think of me visiting you to ease your worries."  
 _"Okay, thanks Chat."_ her voice was soft, _"I'll see you later"_ "Bye princess."

The phone call ended, Adrien sat on the toilet seat for a few more minutes. Although he seemed to calm her down, that didn't stop his worries from rising up. He needed to see her, and soon. When he returned to the party, he never stopped looking at his watch, waiting for the party to end. What he didn't count for was for a certain someone to attend the party.

"ADRIKINS!" he visibly froze and cursed under his breath. Being tackled by Chloe was a normal thing at these events, so the guests knew not to get in the way of the mayor's daughter. "Oh, hey Chloe. Nice to see you." he greeted. Even at school, he tried so hard to avoid her, but with both their parents at the party, it would be impossible.

She kissed his cheek and smiled, "By the way, you make a great actor!" Adrien raised a brow, "What? Chloe, I'm a model." The blonde smiled and rolled her eyes, "Oh please! You know, when you _pretended_ to stand up for that ugly slut, Marinette!" the boy stared at her, dumbfounded. "I knew that you were just pretending so that everyone wouldn't hate you. I know that you think she's a slut too! I heard that she's been meeting up with Chat Noir! I bet she's fucking him too!"

Since he was a little boy, Adrien knew how to be polite and respect women. He especially knew never to hit one either, but that didn't stop his hand from slapping Chloe across her face. It was loud and it echoed in the entire room. Eyes were on them, Adrien's hand was clenched by his side, his eyes piercing hers. Chloe's eyes were tearing up, her cheek stung and her lip trembled.

"Adrien." The sound of his father's voice snapped him back to reality. Adrien took a deep breath, "I'm sorry Chloe, but speak badly of her again and I promise you that that would be the end of our friendship. Goodbye." He bowed to his father and the crowd, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience that I have caused, please return to the party."

Although everyone returned to the party, Gabriel Agreste was not pleased. He heard Chloe say her sorry's to her companions before leaving the party. Adrien frowned and bowed at the mayor, "I am sorry for hitting Chloe, but she said something horrible about someone I cared about, who is the kindest soul in the world." The mayor frowned at the boy, but nodded, "I'm sorry on her behalf. Chloe doesn't have a filter."

As soon as the mayor left, Gabriel called his attention. The two quietly escaped into his office, "Tell me what happened."

"I have a friend, Marinette- You know, the one who one the hat making contest" Gabriel seemed to nod, "Yes, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng. What happened to her?" Adrien sat down "A few days ago, she was r-raped and badly beaten up." he felt his mouth go dry. He hated saying that word. Adrien didn't look at his father, so he continued.

"This is the second time Chloe called her that." Gabriel rose a brow, "What?" There it was again, he felt that his heart was going to break. "She called Marinette a slut. She said that Mari wanted this!" Adrien didn't know that his fists were clenched, he didn't know how loud his voice was becoming. But his father never said anything towards his behavior and listened silently. "Mari is at surgery right now. I should be there to support her! When Chloe said that- I couldn't stop myself from hitting her!"

Adrien's breathing was uneven, he didn't want to be here in his father's office. He needed to be with the one that needed him the most. "Adrien" he snapped his eyes open, he didn't even noticed when he closed them. "I-I'm sorry father. I didn't mean to shout." Gabriel nodded, "I understand. But do refrain from hitting the mayor's daughter again. It would ruin your image. You can return to your room anytime you please." "Yes father."

It was after leaving the office did Adrien realize that his father didn't get mad at him. That he didn't say that what he did was wrong. Adrien quickly ran to his room and jumped on his bed. Plagg peeked from behind a mountain of cheeze, "What's gotten you in a good mood?" "I'll tell you later! I just want to see Mari before she wakes up!"

As Chat Noir, he ran across the roof tops of buildings. Stopping only to buy flowers again from the same shop then he sprinted off into the night towards the hospital. _"I'm outside the hospital. What room are you guys in?"_ he texted Sabine. Instead of replying back, Chat spotted Tom exit the front door, waving at the boy.

"Tom! You didn't have to come and get me you know" Tom smiled and gave him a hug, "It's fine. Mari's still asleep anyway, she won't notice I'm gone." Up the elevator they went, it stopped on the 4th floor. _Room 417 - Marinette Dupain-Cheng_

With a knock, the two entered. Sabine stood up and gave him a hug, "Thank you for coming Chat. It means a lot to us." Chat smiled, "Don't mention it" Sabine noticed the flowers, "Let me find a vase for you to put those in." Sabine exited the room, leaving the two with Marinette. Chat placed the flowers on the table and stood beside the foot of her bed.

Marinette's eyes looked heavy, her arm was fully casted and resting by her side. Tom watched as the boy stared at his daughter. He noticed the way Chat's smile faltered and the way the boy's hand was in a fist again. His eyes full of concern. "My boy," Chat looked up and sat beside the man. "I've been wondering for sometime but... do you know Mari- I mean, outside your costume."

Chat nodded, he knew that nothing bad would happen if he told Tom that. "I see her at school" Tom seemed to nod, "I understand now." Chat tilted his head in confusion. "Ah, well... You see, no one would be so concerned for someone you met a few times. So it makes much more sense that you go to the same school."

Chat laughed, "But don't tell Mari" Tom smiled, "You got it." Sabine returned with a vase for the flowers. "The nurses are so kind, they let us borrow this until Mari gets out." It was already 9, turning 10pm. "Have you two eaten yet?" Chat had to ask. Sabine and Tom looked at each other bashfully and shook their heads, "No"

Chat smiled at the two, "Well now that I'm here, you two can go and eat first. Rest for a while. Don't worry, I wont leave Marinette's side." The couple knew that they could trust the superhero. Not just because he was a superhero, but because he was their daughter's friend, the one who has been with her since the start of this mess. The two left, leaving Chat Noir with his sleeping Princess.

* * *

 ** _I hope you enjoyed this! I'm sorry for the late upload! I've been busy with the new semester. Sorry! I know this is short but I've been writing a ton of reports and hw. My free time lately has been used of sleeping and studying. So i'm very sorry!_**

 ** _But I want to say thank you to everyone that supports me in this story and want to continue reading more. I hope you enjoyed! Especially the Chloe part ;)_**


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